Shift: A podcast about mobility

Siyu Huang, CEO and founder of Factorial Energy, joins joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to discuss solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Huang explains why the batteries make EVs lighter and less expensive and how geopolitical tensions play into the batteries’ future. 

Loren McDonald, CEO of Chargenomics, joins Jerry Hirsch, Automotive News managing editor, content, on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why Ford’s F-150 Lightning underperformed expectations.He also explains why the automaker’s plans for a midsize electric pickup may hit the sweet spot for some consumers.

Richard Ward, executive director of the American Vehicle Owners Alliance, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about the debate in Congress over ownership of vehicle data.He also explains why a coalition of fleets, repair shops and insurers are interested in broadening access to telematics and other information from the vehicle.

Andrew Chapin, COO at Nuro, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why he thinks robotaxis won’t become a commodity.He also explains why Nuro is diversifying its business, including investments in logistics and personal autonomy, amid losses at Lucid, its robotaxi manufacturing partner. 

Elena Ciccotelli, host of the “EVs For Everyone” podcast, and Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at Cox Automotive, join Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how April’s used electric vehicle sales grew 17 percent year over year.They also discuss how China is exporting EVs at an increasingly rapid clip.

Anders Bell, chief engineering and technology officer at Volvo Cars, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how organizational changes at Volvo have helped it accelerate its development of software-defined vehicles.He also explains how the automaker is localizing operations to keep up with China’s integrated supply chains.

Alex Oyler, consulting director at SBD Automotive, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about whether traditional automakers can keep up with the pure-play electric vehicle manufacturers on software-defined vehicles.He also explains how some companies end up stagnant by marrying old and new in the same vehicle.

Stephan Keese, senior partner at Roland Berger North America, joins Automotive News tech and innovation reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the Iran war is constricting the supply of helium used to manufacture for manufacturing semiconductors.He also says the shortage may push automakers further towards internal combustion engines and hybrids because they contain fewer advanced electronics that require chips.

Kristin Poland, deputy director of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Office of Highway Safety, joins Automotive News tech and innovation reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why the board began its investigation into Ford BlueCruise. She also explains how the auto industry is misleading consumers about advanced driver-assistance systems through marketing.

John Bozzella, the CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, joins Automotive News tech and innovation reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why the Alliance is calling for eliminating the government’s 18.4-cent-per-gallon gas tax.He also explains what the federal government should be doing to encourage the development of alternative powertrains. 

Dennis Fritsch, the executive vice president of the safety and motion division at Aumovio, joins Automotive News managing editor Jerry Hirsch on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the company is eliminating the need for hydraulics with dry braking.He also explains why electric vehicles offer some advantages for incorporating new safety technologies.

Ali Kani, vice president of automotive at Nvidia, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how automakers can pick and choose parts of Nvidia’s automotive business, including training and simulation tools.He also explains why automakers might choose a graphics processing unit-based system despite the additional power draw.

Mohammad Fatouraie, director of the engineering and power solutions division at Bosch, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how suppliers plan for scenarios such as lower-than-expected sales volumes for electric vehicles.He also explains the extent to which partners and customers are willing to work within the constraints of standardized packaging and design for components that can be used across powertrains.

“Shift” podcast co-host Molly Boigon gets help from Mike Quinn, managing director and partner with Boston Consulting Group, to explain how vehicles connect to the Internet.She and Jake Neher, the executive producer of audio at Automotive News, discuss how vehicles rely on a cellular module that will need to be swapped out as generations of the cellular network are sunset.

Lei Xing, an independent analyst and consultant on the Chinese auto industry, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how Chinese vehicles entering the U.S. would likely not initially compete in the most profitable U.S. segments, such as pickups. He also explains why the Chinese automakers Geely and BYD are best positioned to enter the U.S.

Dan Hearsch, global co-leader of the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how AlixPartners’ 2026 Disruption Index found the auto industry is the most disrupted in the world — for the second year in a row.He explains why that disruption is leading executives to fear for their jobs as the ground shifts beneath their feet.

Maria Anhalt, CEO of Elektrobit, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the auto industry faces economic and technological pressure to deliver products and features faster. She also says regulators should standardize artificial intelligence policies to eliminate compliance complexity.

Automotive News Managing Editor Jerry Hirsch talks with TrueCar founder and CEO Scott Painter about the tension between his digital sales platform and dealers. They also discuss the potential for subscription car platforms. Plus, Shift Executive Producer Jake Neher and Automotive News Retail Tech Reporter Mark Hollmer discuss the biggest technology and AI trends out of the NADA Show 2026 in Las Vegas.

“Shift” podcast co-host Molly Boigon gets help from Alex Oyler, director of SBD Automotive, North America, to explain how the architecture of the vehicle has evolved over time.She and Jake Neher, the executive producer of audio at Automotive News, discuss the differences between domain and zonal architectures and how they can enable new vehicle features.

Ozgur Tohumcu, general manager for automotive and manufacturing at Amazon Web Services, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how companies are using small language models on board the vehicle to enable better voice assistants.He also explains how manufacturers will use satellites to keep consistent high-bandwidth connectivity for vehicle features.

George Lenyo, EY’s Americas automotive leader, joins Automotive News tech and innovation reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast at CES 2026 to talk about how artificial intelligence is turbocharging the simulations used to train autonomous vehicles.He also explains how automakers can charge consumers for the right subscription services.

At CES 2026, Amnon Shashua, CEO of Mobileye, joins Automotive News Managing Editor Jerry Hirsch on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how humanoid robots can fill labor shortages.He also explains why it makes sense for autonomous technology companies to invest in robotics.Plus, co-host Molly Boigon and Automotive News Reporter Laurence Iliff recap CES 2026 from the show floor in Las Vegas.

Gary Shaprio, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how companies will be discussing trade policy, tariffs and manufacturing location changes at CES.He also explains how uncertain trade conditions are diverting focus from product innovation. 

Itay Michaeli, senior U.S. automobile analyst at TD Cowen, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how industry experts increasingly feel that the arrival of autonomous vehicles is just a matter of time, a shift enabled by better and lower-cost hardware, improved software and lessons learned from past struggles.Michaeli also explains why he is expecting new partnerships in the robotaxi space at CES 2026.

Ryan Falor, director of AV/ADAS data at GM, and Jason Ekelmann, manager of the advanced vehicle integration team at GM, join Automotive News reporter Lindsay VanHulle on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the automaker is leveraging its shuttered Cruise robotaxi venture and Super Cruise hands-free driver-assist technology to build an eyes-off system for 2028.They also explain why GM is taking a nationwide testing approach and using manual data collection, simulation and supervised driving to build and evaluate test the systems.

RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s CEO, joins Automotive News reporter Laurence Iliff on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the automaker is spending more on R&D for autonomy than in any other area.He also explains why the company is still focused on personal autonomy during a broader robotaxi boom.

RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s CEO, joins Automotive News reporter Laurence Iliff on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how Rivian reduced its tariff impacts from thousands of dollars to the “low hundreds of dollars” per vehicle. He also explains how Rivian is building a platform that will be prepared for autonomy to redefine vehicle ownership.

Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp, joins Hannah Lutz, director of technology and innovation coverage at Automotive News, on the “Shift” podcast. Terry breaks down a major issue for electric vehicle chargers: software failure.“We just need to understand that these assets that we’re working with are connected devices,” she said. “The same level of rigor and best practices that we see in other industries that use IT, we should be applying that to charging.”Terry also explains why the charging industry needs more standardization and consumer education.

Michael Berube, Calstart’s new CEO and a former leader at the U.S. Department of Energy, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the Shift podcast to talk about how states are filling in the gaps in federal support for the electric vehicle transition.He explains how stakeholders, including nonprofits and the public sector, can help dealers be prepared to answer frequently asked questions about EVs. 

Erin Keating, senior director of economic and industry insights at Cox Automotive, joins Automotive News reporter Laurence Iliff on the “Shift” podcast to explain how the EV tax credit sales drop is more complex than it seems — automakers pulled back on production in anticipation of slumping demand. “You can’t sell what you don’t have,” she said.Keating discusses how automakers are courting a more receptive electric vehicle buyer and how the industry can get to price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.

Jennifer Tisdale, senior director of strategic engagements, North America, at Upstream Security joins Hannah Lutz, Automotive News director of technology and innovation coverage, on the Shift podcast to explain. Tisdale breaks down what’s possible versus vs. what’s probable in a vehicle cyberattack, and she explains how evolving automaker-supplier collaboration and clear standards will help reshape cybersecurity. 

Abhijit Boora, a director at AlixPartners, explains during a conversation with Staff Reporter Molly Boigon how record net inflows to foreign trade zones and bonded warehouses indicate automakers are delaying tariff impacts.He also discusses data that suggests automakers are reporting a small amount of U.S.-made content in vehicles imported from Canada and Mexico. Companies may have to work to shore up domestic supply chains and document U.S. sourcing to avoid significant tariff costs.

General Motors is envisioning “what your vehicle could become if we think about it as the most useful, technologically advanced robot most people will ever own,” Sterling Anderson, GM’s executive vice president, global product, and chief product officer, said on the Shift podcast.Anderson spoke with Automotive News reporter Lindsay VanHulle in New York on Oct. 22. He detailed parts of GM’s next chapter: a centralized vehicle computing architecture that makes vehicles smarter over time, “eyes-off” highway driving, and a lithium manganese rich battery chemistry that aims for longer range at lower cost.

John Wall, COO of QNX, which makes operating systems, development tools and more for the automotive industry, explains the results of a new survey of developers during a conversation with Automotive News staff reporter Molly Boigon.Respondents said that cybersecurity is the greatest risk to software-defined vehicle development, but also flagged that cybersecurity regulations are challenging. They also indicated that a slew of recalls is changing their development approach.

Shmuel De-Leon, CEO of De-Leon Energy, an Israeli battery consulting firm, explains the safety and performance benefits of solid-state batteries in electric vehicles. He spoke with Automotive News reporter Richard Truett at The Battery Show Oct. 8 for the Shift podcast.The U.S. should support solid state battery development to compete with China long term, he said. “Hurry up with a national program to support the battery industry, to build a battery supply chain, to develop new technologies, innovative technologies that could compete better,” De-Leon said. “Every day that we are not doing it, we are just shooting the foot of the American automotive industry.”

Magna International is leaning on artificial intelligence to improve manufacturing and to gain supply chain insights amid shifting trade policy. Todd Deaville, vice president of advanced manufacturing innovation at Magna, joins Automotive News supplier reporter John Irwin, on this week’s Automotive News Shift podcast. Plus, Shift hosts Hannah Lutz and Molly Boigon break down what the end of the federal EV tax credit means for the auto industry. Highlighted stories: The end of EV tax credits begs the question: What happened?

Mike Murphy, CEO of the EV Politics Project and the American EV Jobs Alliance, discusses how electric vehicles became political and the future of sales once the federal tax credit is eliminated, plus how the public views EVs.Murphy also shares how he became an EV advocate after spending his career as a Republican strategist and political consultant.

Automakers shouldn’t count on Chinese vehicles’ exclusion from the U.S. market forever, warns Larry Dominique, previously with Stellantis and PSA North America and now president of LD Management Consulting.If automakers “don’t push for innovation and push for technology, when those gates do open, they’re going to have that much more of a gap to catch up on,” he said on the Automotive News Shift podcast.Dominique and Jerry Hirsch, senior editor of technology and innovation coverage at Automotive News, discussed China’s threat to the legacy automotive industry, among other topics.

The elimination of the federal electric vehicle tax credit, scheduled for Sept. 30, will reduce EV sales initially, but charging infrastructure improvements, supply chain efficiencies and more EV options will push the sector forward long term and open the door to more efficient vehicles across powertrains, panelists said at Automotive News Congress in Detroit Sept. 11. Elaine Buckberg of Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, Elizabeth Krear of the Center for Automotive Research and Jeffrey Morrison of General Motors discussed the future of EVs with Hannah Lutz, Automotive News director of technology and innovation coverage.

Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate and a former presidential candidate, says the auto industry moved too quickly on electric vehicles and needs to devote energy to making internal combustion engine vehicles more efficient.He acknowledges his 2000 presidential campaign overshadows his crusade for automotive safety, an effort that created regulatory agencies, saved lives and won him a spot in the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Anshuman Saxena, vice president and head of ADAS and automated driving at Qualcomm, details the company’s long-simmering efforts to deliver driver-assistance technology on a global scale.Underway for years, those efforts will debut aboard BMW’s Neue Klasse platform during the IAA mobility showcase in Munich next month. Saxena discusses that development, plus broader driver-assistance plans at Qualcomm. The company has roughly $45 billion in expected auto industry revenue, and roughly a third of that is from driver-assistance products. Further, he discusses how AI will upend motorists’ experiences inside their vehicles — think KITT and Knight Rider come to life.Finally, Hannah Lutz and I mentioned last week’s 100th anniversary of Automotive News at the start of the podcast. You can find more information and a retrospective on a century’s worth of major automotive milestones here. 

Greg Brannon, director of automotive research at AAA, details the results of a new technical evaluation of traffic-jam driver-assistance technology. Researchers found it experiences a “notable event” every 9.1 minutes.He examines the differences in performance between hands-off and hands-on traffic-jam assist technology and offers automakers solutions for improving future systems. Further, Brannon looks at how even well-performing systems can lull drivers into a state of automation complacency, which brings its own set of problems, and he discusses the gap between automotive marketing promises and the real-world reality of driver-assistance performance and limitations.

Harry Campbell, known in the mobility world as The Rideshare Guy, explores how an influx of new driverless deployments and self-driving partnerships are disrupting the status quo in the ride-hailing realm.He examines the new tie-up between Lucid, Nuro and Uber, and probes the latter’s widening influence in bringing robotaxis to cities across the U.S. in meaningful numbers.Further, Campbell, a ride-hailing driver himself, details how the rise of robotaxis are affecting human drivers who rely on the Uber and Lyft platforms for income.

Gabe Klein, who led the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation under President Joe Biden, warns that the Trump administration’s reversal of federal EV incentives and emissions rules could devastate the nation’s ability to compete globally, especially with China. In this episode, Klein breaks down the Joint Office’s role in accelerating private EV charging investments and filling gaps in charger deserts with public funding. While he expects a period of instability in the EV charging landscape, the long-term outcome is inevitable: Americans will drive EVs and charge them on the road, he said.

David Liu, CEO of automated-driving tech company Plus, discusses how $300 million in proceeds from an expected SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX will fund the company’s next phase of growth.He details ongoing partnerships with Volkswagen’s Traton Group, Hyundai and Iveco, and underscores the company’s vision for rolling out autonomous trucks at global scale. Further, Liu discusses efforts to develop trucks equipped with both autonomous-driving software and equipped with hydrogen-fueled powertrains, and how the two might make a potent team for long-distance trucking.

Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability at General Motors, discusses a flurry of recent battery developments that underscore the automaker’s long-term electric vehicle outlook.They include a new foray into energy storage systems alongside Redwood Materials, for which GM will provide both new and second-life batteries, production plans for lithium iron phosphate batteries with Ultium Cells in Spring Hill, Tenn., and work on a lithium manganese-rich chemistry. Kelty, a Tesla veteran, also talks about his time building Tesla’s Gigafactory with JB Straubel and Elon Musk, and why it was so important that the upstart make its own battery cells.

Siyu Huang, founder and CEO of Factorial Energy, provides updates on the company’s ongoing work with Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, and details the company’s efforts in developing solid-state batteries that allow for much faster electric vehicle charging times.She discusses what the end of federal tax credits will mean for EV sales and the expected trickle-down fallout on battery startups.Further, Huang explains why Factorial pursues both semisolid and solid-state battery innovations, how the company is using artificial intelligence in those efforts, and describes which will be tested in a fleet of Dodge Daytonas next year.

Lankton, chief commercial officer at Redwood Materials, details why the company just opened its Redwood Energy business unit and how it is repurposing used electric-vehicle batteries in energy storage systems. He discusses Redwood’s first major project, a system that utilizes more than 700 used EV battery packs that’s already the largest microgrid in North America. That system powers an AI data center at a Redwood facility in Sparks, Nevada. Further, Lankton explains the economics behind repurposing, and how it fits alongside Redwood’s traditional recycling business.

Michael Dunne, CEO and founder of advisory firm Dunne Insights, details how Chinese automotive startups like BYD asserted dominance over Detroit’s legacy carmakers. He explores Ford CEO Jim Farley’s effusive praise of Chinese automakers during the recent Aspen Ideas Festival and the difficulty legacy automakers have in keeping pace with clean-sheet tech startups.Finally, Dunne discusses a workaround that American consumers might utilize in purchasing Chinese EVs and avoiding high tariffs – buying lightly used vehicles from a Mexican dealership just across the border and then driving them into the U.S.

Jeremy Bird, executive vice president of driver experience at Lyft, explains how the company is working with Mobileye, May Mobility and others to launch robotaxis in the near term.He explores the complementary and competitive aspects of relationships between ride-hailing networks and self-driving tech providers, and the pricing differences between human-driven and automated rides. Further, Bird addresses how Lyft’s human drivers feel about their jobs in an environment when self-driving technology is becoming a reality in several American cities.